Transportable load-carrying appliances



1969 F. COWLISHAW ETAL 3,476,275

TRANSPORTABLE LOAD-CARRYING APPLIANCES Filed March 27, 1968 3Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGJ.

INVENTORS FRANK COWLISHAW FRANK TOWN 9 F. COWLISHAW ETAL 3,

TRANSPORTABLE LOAD-CARRYING APPLIANCES Filed March 27, 1968 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 4, 1969 F. COWLISHAW ETAL 3,476,275

TRANSPORTABLE LOAD-CARRYING APPLIANCES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 27,

| r I I I I I I |l l fl I I l I I l I ll FIGS.

FfAA/K 7"0 I N United States Patent US. Cl. 214-517 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A transportable load-carrying appliance having legsenabling loading onto and unloading from a transport vehicle andcomprising a body structure having hydraulically extendible andcontractable legs, with non-rotatable slide and slideway means such assquared shafts and sockets mounting the legs for slidable displacementsbetween inner and outer side positions, and hydraulic or other poweroperated actuator means connected between the slides and the bodystructure for efiecting the displacements during which the legs remainupright, with abutments on the slides for sideways location of theappliance on the vehicle and feet on the legs for holding the appliancedown on the vehicle, and the body structure being a base frame,platform, chassis, container, or room, and when either a container orroom the inward movement of the legs is into recesses.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to transportableload-carrying appliances of the kind adapted to be removably received onthe chassis of a transport vehicle and having a body structure providedwith a plurality of extensible legs at each of the two opposed sides,which legs, when extended, support the body structure from the ground atsuch a height, and in such manner, that the chassis of the vehicle canbe inserted, and withdrawn from, beneath the body structure.

Since a number of individual operations are to be performed of extendingand contracting each of the extensible legs, and it is required for thelegs to be displaced between operative and inoperative positions,together with operation of locating means for the body structure, it 1shighly desirable for all these operations to be performed with a minimumamount of time and labour being involved.

An object of the invention is to provide a transportable load-carryingappliance of such improved construction as to fulfill these highlydesirable requirements.

The invention provides a transportable load-carrying appliance of thetype specified, having the legs hydraulically extensible andcontractable, slide and shdeway means mounting the legs for slidabledisplacements between inner inoperative positions and outer operativepositions, power operated actuator means for effecting saiddisplacements, rotation-inhibiting means adapting the mounting means tohold the legs substantially upright before, after and during thedisplacements. The body structure may be a base frame, platform orchassis or a container or room.

By inner operative positions there is meant positions which the legsoccupy during transport of the appliance by the vehicle; by outeroperative positions there is meant positions which the legs occupy whenthey are extended, or are to be extended to support the appliance fromthe ground.

Conveniently locating means are displaceable with the legs, and arearranged to cooperate, in the inoperative positions of the legs, withabutments on the vehicle to locate the appliance on the latter. Thelocating means may be arranged to locate the appliance sideways in icerelation to the vehicle chassis. Conveniently the locating means arearranged to hold the appliance down onto the vehicle chassis. Theactuator means may be transverse hydraulic jack means incorporated in ahydraulic circuit with the hydraulic legs whereby the legs are displacedand locating means are operated hydraulically.

In one arrangement the locating means may comprise abutments dependingfrom the outer ends of the slides for locating the appliance sideways inrelation to the vehicle, and inwardly projecting feet on the legs forholding the appliance down onto the vehicle.

In one arrangement, transverse hydraulic jack means are mounted on theunderside of the body structure, the legs are connected to slides whichare connected to the transverse hydraulic jacks, the slides are mountedin slideways, and the slides and slideways are of square section or areotherwise inhibited from the relative rotation. Cohveniently the lowerends of upper cylinder components of the legs are connected to theslides thereby enabling the body structure to be lowered to the ground.Conveniently also the connections between the legs and the slides areangle brackets which have downwardly projecting locating abutments forsideways location of the appliance.

In the instance of a container, this is formed With upright recessesinto and out of which the legs are displaced.

The above and other features of the invention set out in the appendedclaims are incorporated in the constructions which will now bedescribed, as a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a transportable loadcarrying applianceaccording to the invention behind a. lorry.

FIGURE 2 is a similar side view to FIGURE 1 with the appliance raised onlegs and the lorry platform backed under the appliance between the legs.

FIGURE 3 is a similar view to FIGURES l, 2 with the appliance loweredonto the lorry platform.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the appliance of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an end view of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is an end view of FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGURE 1 a transportable load-carrying appliance comprisesin this instance a container body 1 having legs, such as 2, 3, and 4 inFIGURE 4, of vertical hydraulic jack form. The container is for loadingprimarily onto a lorry 5 having a reel 6 of flexible hydraulic hose 7powered from the lorry and for attachment to the container for controlof the legs.

The leg cylinders such as 2a, 3a, 4a are disposed opposite verticalrecesses such as 8, 9, FIGURES 1 to 3, and 10, FIGURES 4 to 5.

The leg rams such as 2b, 3b, 4b have feet members 20, 3c, 40.

On the underside of a framework 11 under the container body 1 aretapered lugs such as 12, 13 for engaging between girders such as 14, 15on the lorry.

Referring to FIGURE 4 the leg cylinders such as 3a, 4a are connected toslides such as 16, 17 mounted in slideway sleeves such as 18, 19 securedto th framework 11.

The inner ends of the slides 16, 17 are connected to outer ends oftransverse hydraulic jacks 20, 21, a central common cylinder 22 of whichis secured to the framework 11.

The connections between the leg cylinders such as 3a, 4a and the slidessuch as 16, 17 are through the medium of angle brackets such as 23, 24.

Vertical walls 23a, 24a of the angle brackets depend below the level ofthe underside of the frame 11.

In the starting position of FIGURES l and 4, the legs are contractedwith the transverse hydraulic jacks extended to dispose the legs in anouter position clear of the recesses such as 8, 9, 10 and wider apartthan the overall width of the lorry.

When required, the legs are extended, FIGURES 2, 5, to raise thecontainer body 1 to a suflicient height from the ground to allow backingof the lorry platform under the container body and between the legs, asshown.

The legs are then contracted to lower the container body onto the lorryplatform, during which the tapered lugs 12, 13 engage between thegirders such as 14, 15.

Continued contraction of the legs causes the leg rams to raise clear ofthe ground and when they reach a height above the lorry road wheels, thetransverse hydraulic jacks are contracted.

By this means the leg cylinders are caused to enter into the recessessuch as 8, 9, FIGURE 3 so as not to project from the sides of thecontainer body which can he therefore of maximum permissable width.

The feet members 2c, 3d, 4d, eventually engage the underside edges ofthe lorry girders such as 5a, and the depending plate extensions 23b,24b eventually engage the side edges of the lorry girders such as 5a.

It will be appreciated that final contraction of the transversehydraulic jacks 20, 21 will pull the container body 1, if it is offcentre, into centralized position on which it becomes firmly fixed, andthe final raising of the leg rams will lock the container down onto thelorry platform.

It will be appreciated without further detailed description how, bysuitable reversal of the operations, the container can be unloaded fromthe lorry.

The hydraulic jacks are provided in a hydraulic circuit constructed andoperated as disclosed for example in our copending application, Ser. No.702,269 to which reference is directed for full details.

The container may be also adapted for running on rails in the manneralso disclosed in said patent.

Instead of a container the body structure. may be a caravan or otherroom, or a platform or chassis, or a base frame such as furtherdisclosed in said patent and which may carry a shed, greenhouse or thelike.

What we claim is:

1. A transportable load-carrying appliance having legs enabling loadingonto and unloading from a transport vehicle comprising; a body structurehaving hydraulically extendible and contractable legs, slide andslideway means mounting the legs on the body structure for non-rotatabledisplacement between inner and outer side positions, power operatedactuator means for effecting said displacements, abutments on the slidemeans for centrally locating the body structure sideways on the vehicleand inwardly projecting feet on the legs for holding the appliancedownonto the vehicle in the loaded position.

2. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the body structure is abase frame, platform, chassis, container, or room.

3. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the actuator means arehydraulic jacks incorporated in a hydraulic circuit with the hydrauliclegs whereby the hydraulic legs are displaced and the locating means areoperated hydraulically.

4. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the transverse hydraulicjack means are mounted on the underside of the body structure, the legsare connected to slides circuit with the hydraulic legs whereby thehydraulic legs the slides are mounted in slideways, and the slides andslideways are of square section or are otherwise inhibited from therelative rotation.

5. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the lower ends of uppercylinder components of the legs are connected to the slides therebyenabling the body structure to be lowered to the ground.

6. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein the connections between thelegs and the slides are angle brackets which have downwardly projectinglocating abutments for the sideways location of the appliance.

7. An appliance according to claim 1 wherein said body structure is acontainer and formed with upright recesses into and out of which thelegs are displaced.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,985,482 5/1961 Lion 214-5153,063,667 11/1962 Doty 214515 3,135,407 6/1964 Back 214515 ALBERT J.MAKAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 254-

